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Books Spark Love For Couple

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By LAURA CONE

The Sun

Published: January 21, 2009

Married for six years, Camille Mariani met her husband, Albert, while the two were sunbathing at the Kings Point pool.

Albert said he always thought of himself as a non-fiction reader, but opposites often attract and he found himself drawn to Camille, who writes murder mystery novels.

"I was drawn by the fact he was sitting and reading," Camille said. "Our chairs were close by. When I got up to leave the second or third day, I asked him what he was reading. I was pretty happy about my first published novel. And so I asked him if he would like to read it. He said yes."

She said they started dating and eventually married and settled in Kings Point.

Camille, who is originally from Belfast, Maine, has lived in the area since 1996.

She is the author of a trilogy and recently had her novel, "Links to Death, Murder In Maine," published by iUniverse. All of her books are available by online bookstores.

"I am a lifetime writer," she said. "I worked my way through the chairs. I ended up as editor of the St. Lawrence Plain Dealer in Canton, N.Y."

Later in her career, she was appointed as director of public relations at the State University of New York.

She has witnessed dramatic changes in the newspaper business, adding it is sad for her to see the loss of independent newspapers.

In terms of her latest novel, she has enjoyed the feedback of loyal readers.

"Some people have said they have read it in a couple of days and others say they have not been able to put it down," she said. "We write about what we know even though we write fiction. The writing keeps me pretty busy."

One of her novels, "Pandora's Hope," is set in a retirement community similar to Sun City Center. Her latest novel, "Links To Death, Murder In Maine," is the story of Beth Armstrong, a character who reassesses her position in a local newspaper after a murder. She stumbles on a motive for a string of murders and worries she might be the next to die because of her discovery.

"It's hard to say how you come up with a storyline," Camille said. "You begin with a small premise and build on it. You develop the characters and learn who the characters are and they very often write their own story."

In addition to swimming, the couple likes to dance and go on cruises.

Albert Mariani said he is always impressed by his wife's ability to write.

"She has spent quite a bit of time writing," he said. "I'm amazed she can do everything she does. She is a prolific writer for sure."

Editor Laura Cone may be reached at lcone@mediageneral.com.

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